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This project and subsequent post is so overdue. You know what they say: “Sometimes life gets in the way”, and the past couple months have definitely thrown some curves at me. Now that the holiday dust has settled a bit, there’s time to pick up where I left off.

Originally, I planned to mix up this recipe to fill the jars from the first part of this post and give them out over the holidays. I realized though, in the last couple of days, these could also make cute gifts for Valentine’s Day. So, while my sweetie was cooking us breakfast this morning, I busted out the supplies and got to work.

My first step was to sanitize the jars and lids in the dishwasher to destroy any microbes that have lingered from the jars’ previous uses. Next I mixed and tested the scrub. I found that I needed a bit more coconut oil than the recipe called for, to create the consistency that I prefer. Otherwise, it was a bit dry and tended to crumble away. Once I had the mixture down, and the jars were ready, I redecorated the lids in appropriate St. Valentine fashion using scrap booking remnants and leftover Christmas ribbon.

I’m really happy with the finished product and am excited to present these to my loved ones. I’m also considering whipping up some body butter to pair with the scrub for a complete winter skin treatment.

Like this:

I have a special place in my heart for Halloween. The eerie aesthetic has always been a draw, plus my oldest son was born so near to the holiday that I have spent most of the last 18 Octobers planning and executing some type of holiday/birthday event. In other words, I’ve had my fair share of crafting, cooking and creating all things dark and creepy. The downside is that like any other holiday it can get pricey real quick, not to mention wasteful (all that candy!) when I get carried away. So in the spirit (ha!) of sustainability, here’s a few links with ideas for celebrating Halloween without sacrificing those things that make the day so much fun.

Decorations: Who doesn’t love turning their yard or walkway into a festive display for trick-or-treaters or party guests? One of my friends – a teacher and veritable superwoman – along with her boys, made a horde of these monsters using plastic bottles and lined their driveway with them. Also super cute and simple to make using jars and acrylic paint, are these glass luminarias. For our party last year, we placed several sets of these spooky glowing eyes made from empty toilet paper rolls in the foliage behind our deck. We used glow sticks in lieu of the LED light and battery, and they turned out well. I definitely recommend borrowing a hobby knife, if you don’t have one, for an adult or older child to use when cutting the eye shapes. Scissors will work, but not as easily.

Pumpkins and Jack o’ Lanterns: If you find yourself with an extra, uncarved pumpkin, or even one that has already been cut into (a masterpiece gone awry, perhaps?), making it into puree for baking is easy. Just don’t use any carved pumpkins older than 24 hours. As for the guts, the more ambitious chef with time to shell seeds might like to try making pumpkin seed pesto, otherwise classic roasted pumpkin seeds, make a tasty, healthy snack. Once carved pumpkins are past their prime, they can be tossed right into your compost bin. No bin? You can find a location to dispose of your organic food waste here, or simply bury the shells in your garden to enrich the soil.

Costumes: I love all the other prep that goes into Halloween, but the dressing up is my favorite- whether I spend an entire month or just the final hours before a party working on my costume. Refinery 29 presents some ideas for piecing together a costume from the thrift store, but you may even be able to shop your own wardrobe. Your favorite television character, zombie bridesmaid (never a bride), or even “Carrie” could already be in your closet. For additional inspiration, try some tips in one of these You-Tube make-up tutorials also assembled by R29. (WARNING: The Jem and the Holograms make-up video included in this listing is extra awesome and may lead to the immediate and uninterrupted viewing of all Vintage or Tacky’s other tutorials.)

Candy: We always end up buying more candy than we can hand out, and our own kids bring in such a haul that it gets a little crazy. If you find yourself buried in Halloween treats, consider donating them to the troops. For those chocolate based favorites deemed too precious to part with, you can boost the nutritional value by melting them down to make a dip for fresh fruit or a recipe such as these banana pops.Unreal Candy and YummyEarth Organics offer some alternatives to the usual handouts for trick-or-treaters, plus a directory of fair trade chocolatiers can be found here.

Hopefully, you came across something in this post that you can use or put your own spin on. Would love to hear additional tips and ideas from others, too, so please feel free to share. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!